


Parallels - An Out of Cryo Story

by Kitewalker



Series: Out of Cryo [5]
Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: AU, F/F, Femslash, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gifts, High School AU, Sexual Content, Swearing, Takes place in Old World timeline, Writing Prompt, non-canon, out of cryo, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-17 07:07:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13653972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitewalker/pseuds/Kitewalker
Summary: From Out of Cryo AU Prompt: What if the Faro Plague never happened and Becks got the guts to tell Jenna how she felt…eventually?





	1. Admission

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Quantum_Reality](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quantum_Reality/gifts).



> This is a spin-off AU story based on Out of Cryo that takes place on Earth in 2064. This was written based on a prompt from my friend [Quantum Reality](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Quantum_Reality/pseuds/Quantum_Reality). If you haven't read Out of Cryo, this might not make a ton of sense but as it's a regular ol' HS AU that takes place in a futuristic setting, that might be all the background you need. :)
> 
> The prompt: What if the Faro Plague never happened and Becks got the guts to tell Jenna how she felt…eventually?

**_October 11, 2064_ **

_Nothing. Nothing. Leftovers…just had that yesterday._ I picked up a container and opened it slightly to sniff its contents. I reeled back immediately. _Okay, that’s fucking gross. Should probably take this_ out _of the fridge._

I set the container down on the counter behind me and was turning back to face the open fridge again when the door was suddenly shut.

Dennis walked behind me, sniggering, his arm just missing the top of my head. “‘Sup, nerd?”

I groaned and pulled the door open again. “I’m hungry and there’s nothing to eat.”

He walked over to the pantry and opened it. “Well, standing in front of the fridge for an hour isn’t going to make food magically appear. I think Mom and Dad went grocery shopping, anyway.” He reached in and procured an un-popped bag of popcorn before waving it at me. “Want some?”

I shook my head. Wasn’t really craving popcorn. “I’m good. I didn’t eat lunch so I’m starving. Do you know if they’re getting dinner, too?”

Dennis shrugged before opening the microwave and tossing the bag in. He punched a few buttons and hit “start”. “I don’t know. Maybe. They went to get all the stuff for tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow?”

My brother rolled his eyes. “Wow, you’re so lame. Can’t even remember your own birthday.”

_Oh, right._ “N-no, no. I remembered, I just…I guess I forgot about the whole party thing.”

“You forgot about the _giant_ party being thrown for you? Nice, Becks.”

I closed the fridge door again. “No, I mean…I don’t know what I mean,” I said with a sigh. “I don’t even know why we’re having it, honestly.”

“Uh…because you only turn eighteen once? Also, Mom likes having parties.”

I grinned. “This is a fact.” I could hear the kernels popping as the bag in the microwave began to inflate.

Dennis hopped up onto the countertop and sat on the edge. “Is Jenna gonna be here?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You know she is. And no, I haven’t told her yet.”

He did a double take and laughed. “ _Seriously?_ I can’t believe you haven’t told her. Or that she’s so freaking blind that she doesn’t already know.”

I leaned back on the counter nearest to the fridge. “Whatever. I just don’t want to make things weird, okay?”

The microwave beeped. Dennis hopped off the counter and grabbed a bowl from one of the bottom cabinets. “I doubt that’ll happen. Unless we’re talking about a different Jenna.” He retrieved the popcorn from the microwave, tore the bag open and poured its contents into the bowl. “Anywho,” he continued before stuffing a handful of popcorn into his mouth, “I’mma go watch a movie. See you later.”

“Later,” I said as I watched him leave, bowl in hand. I sighed. _This is stupid._ I was near the top of my class, already taking courses at the university, _and_ I’d been placing pretty decently in my most recent races. Yet I couldn’t bring myself to tell my best friend the fucking truth about how I felt. I had tried to tell her one time – when we’d gone to Sunblast together but she’d been way too drunk and I didn’t want to drop that bomb on her. Not like that.

But here I was, less than a day away from being eighteen years old. I’d never had time for dating – there was always something more important to do and I honestly wasn’t interested in anyone. Jenna had gone out with a couple guys from our classes but I knew they were nothing serious – just a movie here and there.

_Ugh._ This was hard and it really shouldn’t have been. I pushed myself away from the counter. _You can do this, Becks. Just tell her tomorrow._ There. I could do that. Tell Jenna the truth…when exactly? At the party? Be a little awkward with my parents and their friends around. After? _Maybe see if she wants to stay over and tell her then?_ I shook my head, embarrassed by my own thoughts. _God, no. “Hey, Jenna wanna sleep over? Wink, wink? Nudge, Nudge?” That’s not creepy at all, Becks. Idiot._

An alert popped up on my Focus. **INCOMING CALL: JENNA CARTER.**

_For fuck’s sake._

I answered it on audio only. I didn’t need Jenna to see me freaking out. “Hey…Jenna.” _Oh, nice. That wasn’t the most awkward thing you’ve ever done at all._

The holographic projection of her appeared in front of me. She looked annoyed. Her long, blonde hair was pulled back and she was wearing a sweater and tight jeans. “What should I wear? And why are you on audio?”

I cleared my throat. Those jeans looked _really_ good on her. “Um…no reason. What do you mean ‘what should you wear’? For what?”

Jenna huffed. “Uh… _tomorrow?_ Your party?”

“One second.” I headed to my bedroom and shut the door behind me before throwing myself on the bed. “Okay, there we go. And I don’t know. It’s mostly just going to be my parents and their friends and some of my relatives. And Dennis.”

She frowned. “I don’t want to look like a slob.”

I snorted. Jenna was a lot of things – impatient, loud, and a bit reckless – but a slob was definitely not one of them. “What you’re wearing now is fine,” I assured her.

“Hmm. We’ll see. So, what are you doing?”

“Nothing,” I said, shrugging even though I knew she couldn’t see me. “Waiting for my parents to get home so they can feed me.”

“I should probably eat, too. What are you guys having tomorrow?”

“Food.”

Jenna was not amused. “Never mind, forgot who I was talking to.”

I laughed. “Sorry. I guess I’m just not super thrilled about it.” It was the truth. I’d much rather go do something lowkey with Jenna than have to entertain a bunch of my parents’ friends.

“I wouldn’t be either. But hey, I’ll be there and maybe we can sneak out after your dad starts getting the scotch out,” Jenna suggested.

_Ask her to stay over, maybe?_ No. No, I couldn’t. Not like this. I’d want to tell her and then it’d be weird and-

“Oh, yeah. Guess who asked me to the dance?”

I thought my heart had stopped. Instead it kept beating but I could already feel it being crushed under the dread that tangled up within me. _Someone already asked Jenna to homecoming. Of_ course _they fucking did. What did you think – that she’d just wait around and go with you as friends?_

“Uh…I don’t know. Who?” I asked, sounding way more depressed than I intended.

Jenna let out a loud laugh as she sat down on her own bed. “Holy shit, Becks – try not to sound so upset about it. There are literally five people I can name off the top of my head that would be stoked if you went with them.”

_Great. Some friend you are, Becks._ “Sorry-I’m sorry. It’s been a long day. Who asked you?”

“Drex!”

_Seriously?_ I wanted to scream. “Oh…yeah? So, is he picking you up in a hover limo or does he have a car?”

A pause. Jenna gave me a worried look, as though I had said something really inappropriate or crazy. “Becks, I turned him down.”

_Oh._ “Oh! How come?”

“Uh…because I don’t want to go with him, that’s why.” She said it like it was so obvious – as though I should know better.

I tried to play it off. “Oh, I mean, you guys danced at the club so I just figured you’d been talking to him after.”

“At the Sunblast? When I was drunk off my ass? I mean, it was fun and all but I just had other plans in mind for something like homecoming. It’s our last year after all, so I’m definitely going with a date. Plus, my mom will kill me if I don’t get pictures taken at least one year.”

_Right. Of course._ “Y-yeah. Guess I hadn’t given it much thought,” I admitted. School dances were usually fun since we went together and met up with our other friends there, but I knew this particular dance was something Jenna had been really looking forward to. _What does she have planned then? Is she going with someone else? Was she going to say anything?_

Another pause. “Hey, is everything okay? You seem kind of off and you’re talking on audio-only.”

“Hm? Yeah, yeah,” I said, not entirely convinced of it myself. “I should get going. I have a shitload of homework. See you tomorrow?”

Jenna smiled and I was relieved she couldn’t see me. “Sure thing. See you tomorrow, Becks.”

* * *

I blew out the candles, grinning as my family, Jenna, and our relatives and family friends applauded all around me. We dispersed as Mom took the cake over to the other side of the kitchen and began to cut slices of it for everyone.

As the cake began to get served, I said my “thank you’s” to the guests that wished me a happy birthday and went to hunt down Jenna. I found her hanging out with Dennis in the living room, drinks and cake in hand.

“Hey,” I said.

“Yo!” Dennis announced. “Man, this cake rocks. Did you try it?”

I nodded. “Mom picks the best ones.” I glanced at Jenna to see what she thought, but she was messing around with the messaging on her Focus and wasn’t really paying attention. I tried not to appear too disappointed – she had been distracted by something all evening. _No doubt talking to whoever she was going to the dance with._ I scolded myself for having the thought and for being a bitter jerk about it. _You should be happy and supportive that she has a date, not acting like a jealous ass._

“You okay, Jenna?” I tried.

She turned off her Focus and gave me a faint smile. “Hm? Yeah. Sorry, was letting Samara know I’m keeping the dress I got.”

“The dress?” _What dress?_

“Oh, she went with me last weekend to get a dress for the dance.” Jenna said it so casually. _But…we always go shopping for dance outfits together._ Why the fuck was _Samara_ of all people the one Jenna asked?

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dennis give me a pointed look and then roll his eyes at me. I ignored him. _Some support he is._ “I wouldn’t have minded helping if you asked, you know.”

Jenna raised an eyebrow. “You were busy last weekend. And…” She shrugged. “Maybe I just wanted a different perspective.”

_Ouch._ I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had done something to piss her off and she wasn’t telling me what. _So much for telling her tonight._ But that wasn’t Jenna’s way – she wasn’t passive aggressive and she told me everything, even if we ended up arguing about it. “Oh, uh…got it.”

Jenna smirked. _She thinks this is funny?_ “Hey, I can still go with you to get yours if you want.”

Dennis looked at the two of us and must have decided the conversation was getting boring because he took a sip of his drink and went to go talk to my cousin.

I tried to appear nonchalant. “It’s fine. I don’t even know if I’m going to go.”

That seemed to get Jenna’s attention. “What? Why the hell not?”

_Oh,_ now _she cares?_ “I don’t know – I’ve been to it every year and it’s the same thing. Plus, I don’t have a date and don’t really feel like looking for one.”

“But it’s…it’s our last year,” Jenna said, echoing the words she had used in our conversation the day before.

“I know, but I mean…it’s not a big deal,” I mumbled, avoiding her gaze.

Jenna bit her lip. _Is she upset?_ This was all really confusing. She didn’t invite me to go dress shopping with her but she was clearly annoyed that I wasn’t planning on going. I didn’t see the point – she obviously had a date or was planning to have a date and I wasn’t in the business of playing the third wheel. I was frustrated – things were never this hard when it came to Jenna. I started to worry even more. Were we growing apart? Was this how a years-long friendship ended?

“Rebecca!” Mom called and I was more than grateful for the interruption. I looked over and saw her standing next to my aunts – her sisters – and waving me over.

I gave Jenna an apologetic look. “Sorry. We can talk later?”

She gave a half-hearted shrug. “Sure. If you want.” Her tone made me wince, but I tried not to let it show that it bothered me as I made my way over to the other side of the room.

* * *

The party eventually wound down a few hours later. For a while, I actually forgot about the tiff between Jenna and I and had a pretty good time catching up with my aunts, two of which lived out of state and the other who lived a short drive away. Jenna mostly avoided me the rest of the party. I could see a few pointed looks directed my way, as though she wanted to say something but knew my birthday party probably wasn’t the best time to do it, and I didn’t want to engage and be miserable the entire time.

I followed Mom into the kitchen to help her clean up, but Dennis stepped in front of me once I got to the doorway.

“Uh…do you mind?” I asked.

He smirked. “I got the dishes. Jenna’s in your room.”

“Okay…why?” It wasn’t weird for Jenna to be in my room alone, of course, but just the way Dennis told me made me suspicious that something was up that he knew about.

“’Cuz I might have told her you wanted to talk to her.”

_The fuck._ “What the entire fuck, Dennis?” I hissed. Mom didn’t approve of us swearing at each other.

He put his hands up in defense. “Hey, hey. I didn’t _say_ anything if that’s what you’re thinking.”

I sighed. “Whatever.” I turned and headed for my room, not looking forward to the inevitable argument Jenna and I were about to have.

I found her sitting on my bed, flipping through the latest issue of a science magazine I subscribed to. I loved some of the discovery articles in it and made a point of getting the physical copy every month, even though most people got it sent directly to their Focus.

I closed the door behind me. “Hey,” was my brilliant opening line.

Jenna glanced up from the magazine. “You know the capybara can weigh up to 150 pounds? Also, it’s basically a giant guinea pig. Look.” She turned the magazine over so I could see the picture.

I couldn’t help but smile as I walked over to her. “Yeah, we’re lucky those didn’t die off twenty years ago.”

She snorted. “Lucky? It’s a giant rat, Becks.”

I took a closer look at the picture. “I don’t know – it’s kinda cute.”

She shook her head before closing the magazine and setting it down on the bed. “If it has giant eyes and fur, you think it’s cute.”

“Because it usually is.”

She gave a small laugh. Silence descended upon us a few seconds after. It was beyond awkward. We rarely had these moments and I could only assume that this had something to do with my comments earlier.

“Good birthday? You’re eighteen now. All adult and shit,” she said.

“Oh yeah, super adult. I’m so adult I act like a jerk to my best friend over fucking _dress shopping_ ,” I said dryly as I sat down next to her.

She raised her eyebrows before giving a small nod of agreement. “You _were_ kind of snippy.” She met my gaze. “Sorry I didn’t wait for you. I know we’ve always gone every year and…I guess I wanted this time to be different.” She shrugged.

_Not exactly an ego booster._ “Different? Like going with Samara instead? If you wanted to do that all along, Jenna, you could have just told me.”

She folded her hands together. “No, that’s…that’s not-that’s not how I meant it, Becks.”

_Well, how else could she mean it?_ I was confused and annoyed, but I knew I had to make things right with her. But the feelings from the previous day crept up on me and I found myself struggling to get a complete sentence out. _Ugh._

Jenna noticed. She always could. “Becks, what is it?”

“Nothing, it’s noth-,”

But she wouldn’t accept my answer. “Nope. We’re not doing this. I know something’s bothering you. You’ve been acting really strange for a while now and you haven’t been on holo half the time I call you and you’re suddenly busy all the time. Not to mention you got irrationally pissed off when I told you I got my dress already.” She stared at me, but her expression wasn’t one of accusation. Instead she seemed…hurt.

_Well yeah, dumbass,_ you _hurt her. You hurt your best friend. You hurt the girl you lo-like…a lot._

“I talked to your mom, Becks,” she continued. “You were _home_ all weekend! I just…” She looked down and shook her head, no doubt in disbelief at my ridiculousness. “You could have just told me you didn’t want to go.”

“That wasn’t…that wasn’t why I said ‘no’,” I said, defeated. Another sigh. _It’s now or never, Becks. She’s already pissed at you so you have nothing left to lose._

Dennis was right. I was being pretty lame.

“Then what is it?” she demanded.

I looked into her bluish-green eyes and had to struggle to not get lost in them. “I-Jenna, look-,”

She cut me off. “No, Becks! Just tell me what’s going on. Please.”

_Fucking shit._ I took a moment to admire her – even when she was hurting (from something stupid _I_ did) she looked beautiful – before leaning in and pressing my lips against hers.

_Fuck fuck fuck._ What the hell was I doing? This wasn’t the plan! There _was_ no plan! Not really.

She froze and her eyes widened as I pulled away faster than I had ever moved in recent memory. I looked away. I couldn’t face her. Couldn’t do it. I cringed, waiting for the rejection. The yelling. The freaking out.

A hand under my chin. She stroked the side of my face and gently pushed me to look at her.

_What?_ She was _smiling_. My stupid-ass self had kissed Jenna Carter and she was fucking smiling about it.

_But then that would mean that she is okay with what just happened. Which would mean-_

She felt the same way.

I visibly shuddered as the weight I’d been holding up for far too long was lifted from my shoulders. I was speechless for a moment.

“Becks…” she breathed, her hand still on my cheek and slowly inching its way to the back of my neck.

I swallowed as a chill ran down my spine. I didn’t know what to do. I hadn’t planned this far ahead. “Um…you want to talk about it?”

Jenna remained serious as she shook her head. Her hand tightened on the back of my neck. “Not really,” she muttered and pulled me to her – her lips capturing mine, making the room spin.

Her mouth moved against mine – the kiss both soft and frantic at the same time. It was a completely new and foreign sensation made even more powerful just by the sheer fact that it was _Jenna._ I shuddered again as a wave of emotions washed over me – that this could have been a thousand times less stressful if I’d just stopped being a complete idiot for one moment and _told_ her earlier.

Her hand left my neck and traveled to my arm. She gripped it, moving her thumb over my long-sleeved shirt and against the light muscle definition from the minimal weight lifting I did for track. I felt the warmth of her breath as she exhaled into me and sighed at just how _right_ it felt. _This_ was what I had been waiting for. _This_ made it all worth it.

She shifted back a bit on the bed and bumped up against the forgotten magazine. In one smooth move, she grabbed it, set it on the nightstand next to the bed, and placed a hand back on my arm and the other around my waist while continuing to kiss me.

Her tongue grazed my bottom lip. Something very close to a squeak came out of me, not super familiar with the sensation that was sent spreading throughout my body, making my stomach tighten.

I tensed up once I felt her hand reaching under my shirt, feeling for the skin underneath. “Jenna,” I gasped and put my hand on her wrist.

She stopped immediately and withdrew her hand. Pressing her forehead against mine, breathing a little heavier than normal, she murmured an apology.

“No, no,” I rushed. “It’s…you’re fine, I just-can we talk about this?”

She gave a half-smile and locked eyes with me again. “Sure.”

I wanted to melt on the spot – wanted to kiss her some more and maybe explore _other things,_ but I compelled myself to stay focused. “I…um…” _Well, now I feel stupid._ “I l-like you.”

She arched her eyebrows up before bursting into laughter. “Really? No, shit. I thought you were just trying to show me some new workout routine you learned at practice.”

I glared at her. “Not funny.”

“Sure, it is,” she decided before taking my hands in hers. “I like you, too.”

I huffed. “Could have said something earlier.”

“Oh, don’t even try to blame this one on me, Becks.” She gave me a curious glance. “Is this why you’ve been avoiding me?”

I nodded. “I didn’t know how to tell you.” I realized something. “Wait. But your dress – you said you had other plans for homecoming. Who else asked you?”

Jenna rolled her eyes. “Becks, I love you to death, but sometimes you’re fucking dense.” She took a deep breath. _Is she…nervous?_ “My plan was that I was going to ask _you_ to homecoming. As…my date.”

_Oh._

“That’s why I asked Samara if she would go with me to get a dress. I figured it would be better anyway if you saw it the night of the dance. That is, if you’ll go with me.”

I’m pretty sure my mouth was hanging open enough that I looked hysterical (and like an idiot). Jenna wanted to go to the dance…with _me._ Saying that I was over the moon would have been a massive understatement.

“Hell, yeah!” I exclaimed.

Jenna laughed and shook her head. “You’re such a fucking dork, shrimp.” I laughed along with her and we fell back onto my bed, devolving into a giggling mess after a few seconds, holding each other.

The laughter died down after some time and both of us stared at each other, waiting for the next step. _Welp, my turn._

I inched forward, making sure to give Jenna plenty of time to change her mind. The distance between us closed and we were back to kissing. This time felt more natural, less scary. Jenna was definitely the more confident between the two of us and picked up right where she left off. I let out a quiet whimper as her tongue slipped into my mouth and her hand began to explore under my shirt again. _It’s fucking October. Why is it so hot in here?_ I sat up for a quick moment and pulled the garment off before tossing it to the floor. Thoughts began to surface in my mind as her hand returned to move across my stomach and then upwards.

“Jenna…have you ever…?” I whispered. It was getting harder to breathe for some reason.

She slowed down. “No. I didn’t…I was hoping that it could be us.”

It was in that moment that I finally understood the phrase ‘heart fluttering’. _Are we moving too fast?_ I wanted to be with her – this was everything I’d hoped for and more, but I also didn’t want to fuck it up.

“I want it to be,” I said, meaning every word of it. “But I want it to be on our terms.” I nodded toward the door. “My parents…”

Jenna smiled. “I get it.” She wrapped her arms around me. I felt safe in her hold.

“Maybe you could stay over tonight, though?” I suggested. “Just so we can keep…talking about this?”

She giggled. “We _do_ need to pick out something for you to wear. Sure,” she said. “we can talk more.”

I pressed myself up against her warmth, the happiness I felt overwhelming me to the point where I thought I might start crying. It was like a new adventure had just begun for both of us, and I couldn’t wait to see where it took us.


	2. Oops

A sudden pressure on my side stirred me awake. I opened my eyes, the fog of sleep still hovering over me. My first thought? _It’s cold._

My sight focused and I noticed a few things – that the comforter only came up to my waist (which might explain why I was cold), that I wasn’t wearing anything on the upper part of my body except my bra (which could also explain why I was cold), and that Jenna was sleeping in my bed, also shirtless and halfway draped on top of me (which didn’t really explain much although it did remind me of the previous night’s events).

_Holy shit. I spent all night making out with Jenna Carter._

I sighed in contentment – the memories coming back to me and making me grin like an idiot. We’d talked a bit more – Jenna admitted she had felt this way about me since before we even started our final year of high school. Then we kissed some more, which progressed into making out some more, which probably might have progressed into something _else_ had my parents not been home and I hadn’t been nervous as fuck.

 _It_ is _pretty chilly, though._ I reached down ever so slowly to grab hold of the comforter and pull it up towards me without waking Jenna, who was dead to the world and also had her head on my chest (and did not appear to be moving anytime soon). As I pulled on the thick blanket, she grumbled something unintelligible and moved the hand that had been draped over my torso to a much more sensitive part of my anatomy.

I froze. _Oh, shit._ Granted, she had spent a decent part of the night before touching my breasts and exploring my body in general but it was all at a very cautious level. I think she didn’t want to overstep or scare me, despite my insistence that she had nothing to worry about. It was _Jenna_ , I trusted her with my life and I knew she’d never intentionally do anything to hurt me or make me feel uncomfortable. That’s what best friends did, right?

 _If that’s what we still are._ I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply before opening them again. _Don’t jump 3,000 steps ahead, Becks._ Did last night change what we were? Was she my girlfriend, now? Was that something I was supposed to ask her? Was she supposed to ask _me?_ I didn’t know how any of this worked.

“…Becks?” Jenna’s feather-light voice broke through my internal rambling. I looked down and couldn’t help but smile as she blinked back at me sleepily.

“Hi.”

She smiled back. “Hey, you.” She glanced at her hand and must have realized the position she was in because she withdrew it quickly. “Erm…oops.”

I laughed quietly and she joined in, albeit I could see a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks. _Really?_ Now _she’s embarrassed?_ “It’s all right,” I said with a bit of snark in my tone. “I just figured you got all of your inspecting done last night. I shouldn’t have assumed.”

Jenna blushed even harder and I relished in the moment – it was rare that _I_ could tease her and come out the victor. But my victory was short-lived when she steadied herself on her hands and pushed herself up towards me. A few seconds later, I was face to face with her – her nose hovering just barely above mine.

“Maybe I need to be more thorough.”

I exhaled quickly as a laugh slipped out. “Really? That was bad, Jenna. Just…no.”

She gave me a quick kiss, once again stirring up the memories of the night before, and pulled away too soon for my liking. “Oh, shush, you. Your ‘inspecting’ line was ten times worse than any pickup line I’ve ever heard. And I’ve heard a _lot_.”

“Only ten times?”

She seemed to consider. “Mmm…maybe more. But,” she said, beaming at me, “since it came from you, I’m willing to let it go.”

“Oh, _now_ you’re being nice to me,” I teased. The whole conversation was a bit strange because we were still _talking_ like everything was completely normal and it wasn’t until Jenna moved her leg over mine and settled more of her weight on me suddenly that the nerves I had pushed down the previous night returned with a vengeance.

“I am _always_ nice. Especially to you. Putting up with all your weird shit,” she declared, thankfully not hearing the short gasp I let out. She shifted her weight to one hand and stroked my hair with the other before pushing a strand of it out of my face and tucking it behind my ear. The warmth from her hand and the pressure from her body on mine made me sigh, her bare skin on mine – my breath a little shaky from the sensations I was experiencing. I had a hard time looking her in the eyes.

She noticed. _Of course, she did._ “Hey,” she said, her voice much softer than before. “Is…is this okay?”

I nodded.

“Becks,” she pressed, “I lo-I care about you. A lot. I would never want to make you feel pressured or rushed to do something you weren’t ready for.”

I looked up at her. There was something about her words – whether it was how she said them or something else I couldn’t quite place – that made me relax a little. I reached up and began to pull her towards me. “I’m with you. I’m good,” I whispered before bringing our lips together.

Jenna reciprocated immediately and in seconds I was lost – the only thing that mattered was kissing her. I’d wanted this for so long and actually _having_ it and on top of it all, having _this_ be everything I’d hoped for made it all even better.

She started off slow at first before I felt the tip of her tongue on my lips. I let out a soft moan as it pushed into my mouth. I tried to match her aggressiveness by grabbing the back of her blonde hair and pulling on it slightly, the sigh she made awakening a hunger in me I didn’t know I had. She responded by running her hand down my arm and over my breast again, hesitating before placing her hand on my hip and pressing her body into mine again.

“J-Jenna,” I gasped, not really sure how to deal with everything that was happening to me. _Are we going too fast? Everyone’s home…should we really be doing this?_ Part of me wanted to cool it down, but the other part of me was totally fine with seeing where this went because once again, this was _Jenna._

“You’re so pretty, Becks,” she mumbled between kisses. “I mean, I always thought so…but-,”

**_“…I was hoping that it could be us.”_ **

I cut her off by pulling her back to me. She brought her hand back up and placed it on my cheek as we continued to kiss – our movements becoming more desperate. My heart was racing, its beating so strong that I swore I could hear it in my head.

We were so caught up in each other that neither of us heard the knock on the door. Or Mom calling me from outside the door. Or the sound of the door opening slightly.

No, it took Mom clearing her throat after closing the door behind her for me to fucking hear her.

“ _Ahem._ Rebecca?” came her solemn tone.

I _knew_ that tone. More often than not, it meant I was in deep shit.

I froze. So did Jenna. We both slowly turned our heads to face the stern woman that stood in front of my bedroom door, arms crossed.

I felt the color drain from my face and watched as Jenna – still on top of me – swallowed hard, having gone white as a sheet. “I-I- _Mom!_ ” I hissed and yanked the comforter up to cover us. “Couldn’t you like, have _knocked_ or something?!”

But Mom’s expression remained unchanged. “I _did_ knock, Rebecca. A few times, in fact. I also called for you, messaged you on your Focus…”

I looked over and saw my Focus on the nightstand. The notification light was on, but I obviously hadn’t noticed it or bothered to check seeing as how I was preoccupied.

Jenna rolled off of me so fast that under any other circumstances I would have told her to try out for track and would have forwarded on a glowing recommendation to my trainer. She fumbled around for her shirt and pulled it on frantically. “S-sorry, Sarah,” she stammered, hopping off the bed and making her way to the door. “I-I’ll just get going.”

Mom stopped her by putting her hand up. “Jenna, you know you’re welcome here anytime. I’d really appreciate it if you stayed so I can just…understand this.”

Jenna stopped and hesitated, looking at Mom, then the door, then at me – her expression one of someone who would rather be anywhere else.

“It’s fine, Jenna. I’ll call you later,” I said.

Jenna gave me one last worried glance before grabbing her purse off my chair and leaving. As she closed the door behind her, Mom turned to me, her expression slightly less austere than before.

“I’m waiting,” she said, her voice quiet but not accusing.

I sighed and looked around for my own shirt. I found it at the end of the bed. “T-there’s nothing to explain, Mom,” I told her as I pulled the shirt over my head.

“Rebecca, I wasn’t born yesterday,” she argued. “Now, I remember you telling me that you had developed other feelings for Jenna beyond what you girls have always had. Is this…” She paused, as though considering her words.

I didn’t let her finish. “I told her last night, after the party. She told me she felt the same way.”

Mom nodded and sat down at the foot of the bed. “Okay. And is this something that you’re both comfortable with?”

Having to talk to my own mother about this was really odd – we’d never really _had_ conversations like this since I never dated – but I could tell she was doing her best. “I…I would say so. Jenna didn’t – we’re both-,”

But Mom put her hand up. “You’re eighteen, Rebecca. So is Jenna. It would be pointless for me to lecture you about this. I just don’t want to see either of you get hurt or worse, your friendship ruined.”

“I know,” I said, my voice nearly a whisper.

She sighed. “I know your dad and I haven’t really talked with you about this as much as we have with your brother. But the rules are the same. Understand?”

I nodded. “Yes, Mom. Sorry.” _That’s it? No yelling? No freaking out?_ I felt a little guilty – I made a note to give my family (and Jenna) a bit more credit in the future.

“Okay.” She stood up. “Now, your dad made breakfast and I’m sure he’ll be disappointed if you don’t eat it.” She walked to the door. “I’ll see you downstairs.”

“Mom!” I called after her as she opened the door. She turned.

I took a deep breath. Why was this so difficult? _Uh…maybe because Mom found you half-naked in bed making out with your best friend and it’s not exactly a situation you_ practiced _for?_ “Jenna…she asked me to the dance. Like, as her date.”

Mom smiled. “What did you say?”

I felt my confidence returning. “I told her ‘yes’.”

She gave another nod. “Well, then,” she said. “We’ll have to go dress shopping, then. And we don’t have a lot of time so I don’t want to hear any excuses.”

I shrugged. “Oh, Jenna said she’d go with me to-,”

But Mom wasn’t having any of it. “Rebecca Adeline Johnson, so help me, you are _not_ going shopping for a dress with your _date_. That is not how we do things in _this_ family. Do we understand each other?”

My eyes widened in fear. “Erm…yes, Mom.”

“Good. Now, I’m going downstairs. You can tell your dad over breakfast. I’m sure he’ll be very happy for you.”

 _Oh, help me._ “But Mom-,”

“That’s _final_ , Rebecca. Five minutes. Let’s go,” she ordered and left, closing the door behind her and leaving me alone to digest what the flying fuck had just happened.


	3. Dance

“And hold that smile…perfect! Thank you, ladies. Next!” The photographer was nothing if not efficient as he shot the last of our photos and motioned for the next couple to step forward.

“Come on. This way!” Jenna grabbed my hand and pulled me through the entrance of the banquet hall the school had rented out for the dance. The dance floor was packed and even though the dance had started less than an hour earlier, people were already rocking out to whatever the hell the DJ was playing – some kind of weird house grunge blend that a lot of my friends listened to. It was loud as all fuck and I had a hard time computing whether the heavy bass thrumming within me was from the music or just my heart pounding with adrenaline because I was actually _there_ with Jenna of all people.

“Hold up – I need to fix something.” I gently freed myself from Jenna’s grip and began to straighten out the strapless midnight blue dress Mom had helped me pick out. When I tried it on at the store it hadn’t fit quite right so Mom took me with her to her tailor to get it adjusted. I then aligned the corsage around my wrist so that the flowers weren’t at risk (as much) of coming apart before taking a moment to glance back at my date. Jenna’s dress was a bit flashier than mine – black with tiny beaded embellishments in swirling patterns everywhere on the material that must have been hand-sewn and honestly the entire thing had probably cost way too much. But that was just her and I wouldn’t dare tell her to change a thing about it, even though I’d be the first to tell her she looked gorgeous in anything she wore if she asked.

“Ready?” Jenna pressed.

I gave myself one last inspection before taking her hand again. “Let’s go.”

* * *

_“Mom, it’s fine. Just leave it.”_

_“No, Rebecca, I will not ‘leave it’. Either we’re going to do this right or not at all.”_

_A sharp prick on my scalp made me wince. “Uh, ouch? Can we cool it on the stabbing?”_

_Mom was unamused as she finished pinning the last strand of hair. “A simple ‘thank you’ would suffice, you know.”_

_I groaned, feeling a little guilty. “Sorry, Mom,” I said as I admired her work in the mirror I had been sitting in front of for over two hours, now. “It looks really good.” I turned my head. “Thanks.”_

_Mom smiled as she put her hand on my shoulder. “Just_ try _not to worry so much and focus on having a good time. That’s all I ask.” She released me and began to put away the various hair products and makeup that had been scattered across the counter. “Oh,” she added, “you’re going to be staying at Jenna’s tonight, right?”_

And here come the ten thousand questions. _“Yeah, we’ll probably just go straight there after the dance,” I told her as she walked away. She returned with my jacket a few seconds later._

_“Here we are,” she announced, handing it to me. “Oh, and please be safe tonight.”_

_I laughed. “We’re not even driving and I’m sure there won’t be a fight this year.” Last year’s dance had been a bit more eventful than originally planned when a few of the guys I knew got into it over another girl Jenna and I knew._

_Mom didn’t skip a beat. “I meant with Jenna, sweetie.”_

Oh, no _. “_ Mom! _Ugh, really?”_

_“Oh, don’t act like I’m so naïve. Rebecca, believe it or not, I was eighteen once-,”_

_“Her parents are going to be_ home _, Mom,” I said, cutting her off._ Yeah, no, we are _not_ talking about this _. It may have been childish to shut her down like that, but I was nervous enough as it was without thinking about_ that _and I certainly didn’t feel comfortable listening to Mom getting ready to tell me about her_ first experience _or whatever terrible, completely unnecessary thing was about to go down right then._

_Mom just laughed at my expense. “Fine, fine.” She looked at the clock holo on the wall. “Finished right on time. Jenna should be here soon.”_

Fantastic _. My nerves seized up again, particularly in my stomach, which began to hurt for the third time that day. The last few weeks had been a blur and I hadn’t seen Jenna as much as I’d wanted since my birthday. We’d really only been able to hang out a couple times outside of school and those were in pretty supervised situations (around friends or my parents or hers) and neither of us felt comfortable trying out another sleepover with our parents around, especially now that they knew we were a_ thing _._

_Not that we were “official” or anything like that. I almost asked Jenna about it a few days before the dance but then chickened out._

_Mom must have sensed that I was nervous because she gently put her hand on my back. “Sweetie, it’s going to be fun! It’s just a dance, okay? Nothing the two of you haven’t done before, right?”_

_I knew she was trying to make me feel better, but the reality was that this was something entirely new to Jenna and I. We weren’t just going to the dance – we were going_ together _. “I-thanks, Mom. I’ll try to remember that.”_  

* * *

 

As we headed deeper into the banquet hall, pushing through the crowds of people dancing, I thought back to how quiet I had been in the flyer on the way there, or even at my house where Jenna had picked me up. She, of course, looked absolutely stunning and had been so excited when she arrived at my house, even sticking around longer than planned so that Mom could take more pictures before the flyer picked us up.

“Becks! Jenna! Over here!” Samara, flanked by none other than Drex, Hailey, and Peter, waved us over to their unofficially claimed corner of the hall. Jenna flashed one of her bright smiles and squeezed my hand before steering us over to them.

“You ladies look amazing,” Drex, Samara’s date, declared before giving Jenna a friendly hug (it _better_ have been friendly). “I can see why you turned me down, Jenna,” he added with a laugh, giving me a friendly nod.

“Thanks, Drex.” Jenna beamed at me before looking at the other girls. “You guys look great. Where are the others?”

Hailey gestured behind them. “The guys went to grab drinks.”

“We just got here,” Peter explained, looking a little more flustered than usual.

“Yeah, _somebody’s_ boyfriend decided to rent the world’s slowest flyer in Denver,” Samara said with a pointed look at Peter.

Peter gave us a helpless shrug. “James offered! What was I supposed to say?”

As Samara and Peter continued to argue, Jenna grabbed my attention with her trademark playful grin that I _knew_ from years of experience meant she had done something I probably should have tried to talk her out of.

“What?” I mouthed. She let go of my hand and grabbed my arm, sending a shiver through me as she spoke near my ear just loud enough so that only I could hear her.

“So…my parents are out tonight.”

 _What?_ “Um…I thought they were going to be home?”

Jenna shrugged. “Well, I _might_ have told them I was probably going to sleep at your place. They went up to my uncle’s for the weekend.”

 _Oh, shit._ Jenna’s parents were great people and had always treated me as though I were their own daughter but they were far more relaxed than my parents were. I shouldn’t have been surprised at all that Jenna would pull a stunt like this. I felt a little guilty because of what I’d told my mom but there was nothing that could be done about it, now…right?

“Oh, um…I mean, we could go to my house if you wanted,” I offered, secretly hoping she’d say no and come up with a better idea…an idea that for as much as I was onboard with it, I was also terrified. But I didn’t want _her_ to know that.

Jenna’s hand dropped from my arm and snaked around my waist. “Is that what you want?”

 _Hell, no._ “N-not really.”

She gave a light laugh before kissing me on the cheek and releasing me. Turning to the others, she suddenly hollered, “Come on! Let’s go dance,” before dragging us onto the dance floor.

* * *

A few hours later, my feet were starting to kill me and I’m pretty sure my hair was starting to come undone from all the dancing and the fact that the room was getting really warm from all the people in it didn’t help either. Most of the evening was spent with our entire group of friends so Jenna and I didn’t have a lot of time alone together. Still, I was having a blast.

We were taking a break and standing in a circle laughing at something funny James had said when the DJ announced the final song, a slow song (of course), and everyone grouped up with their dates. Without a word, Jenna took me by the hand and led me back out to the floor, where she faced me and wrapped her arms around my waist. I wasn’t exactly sure what to do, as I had never actually slow danced with anyone before. So of course, like a loser, I sort of just stood there.

But Jenna just chuckled and leaned in. “Put your arms around me.”

 _Oh, right. Yes._ My cheeks burned from embarrassment but I did what she said. It was a little awkward at first, but like everything else with us so far, Jenna took the lead and pulled us closer together. I tensed up at first when I felt her body so close to me, but the tension dissipated when she pressed her forehead against mine and met my gaze. We stayed that way for a bit – as the song progressed into the second verse I grew more confident and began to sink into her embrace.

“Having a good time?” she asked.

 _Always._ “Yeah,” I said, smiling. “This was great. Thanks for asking me, even if I was a dumbass about it.”

She nodded. “Yeah, you definitely were.”

I feigned offense and continued to hold onto her as we swayed back and forth together to the slow but steady rhythm. I looked back at her. _She’s probably wondering, too. Maybe she’s waiting for you and that’s why she hasn’t asked. You_ did _make the first move after all._ “Jenna?”

“Hm?”

 _Shit._ It was now or never…or maybe now or tomorrow, but I really wanted it to be _now_. “I, um…would you want to be, you know, official? Like…” I scolded myself and looked away – _just fucking ask her._ “I mean…” I sighed, took a deep breath to gather my courage, and locked eyes with her. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

There was a moment where I only felt utter terror as Jenna stared back at me, her expression giving away nothing. But the terror was quickly pushed away by a rush of giddiness when Jenna gave me the biggest smile before kissing me hard. I had to cling to her to keep my balance as I felt so dizzy from the rush our kiss had sent through me that I had a hard time standing. She was so perfect and I wanted _this_ to last forever, but eventually she pulled away. I might have been imagining things but I thought I heard faint giggling coming from a few feet away where our friends were dancing.

Jenna took a few shallow breaths through bouts of quiet, nervous laughs before answering me. “Rebecca Johnson, you are the biggest dork on the planet.” Her smile never faded, though. “Yes, of course I’ll be your girlfriend. I thought you’d never ask.” She kissed me again, this time for just a short moment.

“Right. Well, um, okay then!” I said once I had rediscovered the ability to speak again (instead of staring at her open-mouthed like an idiot like I had been).

The song ended and the dance came to an end. As we made our way toward the exit, holding hands, I found that I couldn’t stop smiling. _She said ‘yes’. She freaking said ‘yes’!_ Somehow, even _I_ had managed to not fuck this up.

“My place?” Jenna’s tone came off as casual at first, probably in case one of our friends heard us, but I could hear the suggestive weight it carried.

As nervous as I still was, the adrenaline rush of Jenna saying ‘yes’ fueled my courage tenfold of what I had put in. So, as for going to her place – I was completely onboard with that.

“Lead the way,” I said as we passed through the exit doors and walked toward the booth to hail a cab.

* * *

“Finally,” Jenna muttered as she double-checked the lock on the door. I took a few steps forward into the dark living room – her house was smaller than mine but her parents had owned it for years and Jenna had grown up in it.

Jenna dumped her shoes by the door – something her mom would no doubt give her crap for – and turned on the lights. “Snack?” she offered as she walked past me, toward the kitchen. It was just like any other night I would have stayed at her house, which I had done countless times. Except this wasn’t like any other night.

“Uh,” I stumbled a bit as I followed her, having a hard time putting words together as my brain constantly reminded me what was probably about to go down, “I’m good. But thanks.”

She must have heard the hesitation in my voice because she stopped and returned to me before taking my hands in hers. “Becks,” she said, the softness of her voice once again easing my nerves, “it’s just me. _Nothing_ has to happen tonight if you don’t want it to. We can just chill in bed, watch a dumb show, and go to sleep.”

 _How does she_ always _know what I’m thinking?_ “N-no, Jenna. I mean, I-,” _Oh, help me._ I shook my head as I mumbled, “I fucking suck at this,” making her laugh. “I _want_ to, Jenna. I want…” I had to swallow and clear my throat. “I want _you_. But I don’t really know what to do.”

“Oh.” Jenna released me and rested her hands on my hips. “That’s a problem I can help with,” she said before leaning in for a kiss. “See, I’m in the same boat as you so I think between the two of us we can figure it out together.” Another kiss, this one slightly rougher than the last. “Sound good?”

I pulled her close to me and held her tightly, grateful beyond words that this was happening and that she cared so much about how I felt. We stayed that way for a bit, just holding each other in the middle of Jenna’s kitchen, until Jenna moved her lips near my ear again to whisper, “Becks? Can we go to my room?”

“Okay.” She closed her fingers around mine and led me down the hallway and toward her bedroom. Any other time this would have been completely routine, but there was _nothing_ routine about tonight.

We stepped in – she closed the door behind us. Not that anyone would disturb us as her parents would be gone, but the act in itself was telling enough that she wanted to be alone with me. She didn’t bother with the light – the room had a small nightlight that turned on when the main lights were off. After removing my shoes and tossing my jacket on her desk chair, I glanced at her queen-sized bed, my heart beating so strong that I was certain she could hear it.

I gasped in surprise when her lips made contact with my bare shoulder. From behind, she put her arms around me and held me against her while she kissed me – first my shoulder, then working her way toward my neck. I sighed, amazed at just how nice it felt, how surreal it was to just be there, with _her._

I thought I heard her say my name before feeling the straps of my dress being pushed down. I let out a shaky breath and held perfectly still while she worked on my dress. Of course, at that moment, one of the pins in my hair _had_ to shift and pull in a rather unpleasant way. “Hold on.”

Jenna immediately let go. “What is it?” she asked, and this time I could hear fear in her voice. _She thinks I’m still not sure._

“No, no – you’re good,” I clarified. “I just wanted to get changed and get this crap out of my hair if that’s okay?”

She let out a sigh of relief. “Oh. Yeah, of course! I should probably do the same.” She winked. “I feel like I’m wearing ten pounds of makeup. You can use my bathroom if you want.”

I gave her one last parting smile before grabbing my overnight bag and heading to the bathroom, where it took me longer than I would have liked to take every pin out of my hair, get into my favorite old t-shirt and sleep shorts, and wash off my makeup.

When I returned to her room, the holoprojector was on low volume and Jenna was in bed already. “Hey,” she said, wearing a t-shirt and shorts herself.

“Hey, yourself.” I pointed at the holo. “You want to do this instead?”

She shook her head. “Nope. I just figured maybe some white noise might help.” I understood right away – Jenna always got a little creeped out when she was home alone and needed some kind of background noise to sleep.

I set my Focus on the nightstand and climbed into bed with her. “I’ll protect you,” I announced, striking the most knightly pose I could muster.

Jenna facepalmed. “Sometimes I forget that for as hot as you are, you’re still _you._ ”

I couldn’t stop myself from blushing, hoping in the dark she wouldn’t be able to see me, but I laughed anyway. “And by that, I assume you mean ‘brave, regal, graceful’ – feel free to stop me at any time.”

“Oh, no. It’s far more entertaining to watch you in all of your shrimpy, dorky glory.”

Oddly enough, her teasing comments made me _less_ nervous and helped me work up the courage to scoot closer to her and gently stroke her cheek with my hand before leaning in to kiss her. Jenna’s response was immediate – she kissed me back, throwing off my balance with the amount of force she put behind the kiss and taking us down on the bed together.

We continued to kiss, her lips moving perfectly against mine as she began running her hands through my hair, which I think was more difficult than she anticipated as it was still full of hair product. I slipped my tongue into her mouth and she let out a quiet moan as she grasped my arms and pulled at me. It took me a moment to pick up on her hint before I nodded and rolled on top of her, one of my legs ending up between hers. She shuddered and I think I did too when I suddenly became very, _very_ aware that neither of us were wearing anything underneath our sleep clothes.

“Becks,” she whispered, her hands warm against the small of my back, where my shirt had been lifted up slightly. My heart raced as a need I wasn’t super familiar with took hold of me, a buzzing in the back of my mind, and only grew stronger. I moved to her neck and she craned it slightly to give me more access. The need became overwhelming and nearly drove me crazy as I pushed down onto her, her body giving in to mine. I added pressure to the kisses on her neck, even allowing my teeth to graze her skin and pressing down in some places – all the while becoming addicted to the sounds she was making, sounds that I couldn’t believe _I_ was responsible for.

She pulled at my hips, arching up into me before I froze and looked down at her, the sensation almost too much for me to handle. “Jenna?” My voice came out raspy and I had to focus more than usual to control my breathing.

Her bluish-green eyes had grown dark – the dim glow from the holo lighting up just enough of her face that I could see the same need in her expression. She looked up at me, panting lightly, and gave me a crooked smile. “Why’d you stop?”

“Oh, I…I wanted to make sure you were okay with this before we go any-any further.” _Geez, Becks…does she_ look _like she’s not okay with this?_ I knew I was doing the right thing by making sure she was all right, but I worried I might have killed the mood.

But she just tugged at my hips again, the smile never leaving her face. “You’re so sweet.” Another kiss. “I’m very okay.” Another tug. I understood.

The need quickly returned and it was almost as though I was on autopilot as I wrapped my arms around her before returning to her neck. I let her set the pace as she kept her hands on my hips, moving with her and every so often pushing down on her, making her breathe out those feather-light sounds that drove me harder and set me on fire. My own urgency grew as she clung to me, digging her fingertips and eventually her nails into my skin so hard it hurt.

At some point, she gasped my name, leaving me light-headed. Seconds later, she arched her back and held me tightly, pushing against me harder than ever before collapsing back on the bed with me still on top of her – her chest rising and falling, moving us both. I was about to roll off of her to help her breathe as she sounded like I did after running a race, but she moved her hands to my shoulder blades and held me there.

“Don’t go,” she murmured.

I cleared my throat, feeling a little winded myself. “Are you all right?”

She kissed me, letting her lips linger on mine afterwards. “I’m-I’m perfect. _You’re_ perfect.”

I laughed a little at that and winced at the shallow, but sharp pain that came from my hips where Jenna’s nails had broken through the skin. Not that I was complaining or anything.

My attention was immediately diverted when I felt fingers tug at my shorts. “Can I, Becks?”

 _This is it._ But it really wasn’t a question I had to ponder anymore. I knew exactly how to answer as I met her for another deep kiss.

* * *

The commercial blaring on the radio startled me out of my sleep. I opened my eyes and was rather annoyed to hear the same stupid Thankgiving advertisement for one of our supermarkets that had been on every freaking station since the beginning of November.

“…don’t forget to pick up _your_ Thanksgiving turkey soon! Sales end Thanksgiving Day!” the announcer shouted along with these ridiculous turkey sound effects in the background.

“ _And_ we’re back with Denver’s greatest-,” The show’s host was cut off when Jenna slammed her fist on the “off” button to shut off the alarm.

“I fucking hate that commercial and its stupid fucking turkey sounds,” she growled.

I giggled. Jenna was _not_ a morning person.

She rolled over to face me, the comforter shifting just enough that I got a pretty decent view of her. _Nothing I didn’t see last night._ The thought made heat rush from the back of my neck to my cheeks immediately.

She noticed, of course, and burst out laughing when she realized what was going on. “You’re adorable,” she decided before kissing me. “Morning.”

Once I had gotten over my brief embarrassment, I hugged her. “Morning.”

She gave me an apprehensive look when I released her. “Becks, last night…it was great.”

My throat tightened. _Shit._ It wasn’t often Jenna Carter looked nervous but when she did, especially because of something _I_ did, it was almost always a big deal. “It really was, Jenna.” A thousand worries flew through my mind. _Does she regret last night? Did I screw something up? Make her uncomfortable?_

She bit her lip. “About us…being girlfriends – did you really mean that?”

I took her hand. “Of course I did.”

I was a little confused after that, because her response to my answer was to look _relieved._ The tightness went away and I felt nothing but joy at the mere thought of us being together _officially._

“Good,” she concluded. She frowned. “I’m starving. Can we eat?”

I grinned. “Yeah, I’m down. Just need to find my clothes.” I scanned around the bed and didn’t see them, figuring most likely they were on the floor somewhere.

“Becks,” Jenna said suddenly, halting my search. When I turned to her, she moved across the bed and kissed me again, her mouth warm against mine and stirring up the memories of the night before. “I-thanks. For last night – the dance, and…everything.”

I thought my heart was going to burst or that I would start crying or something close to it. “You don’t need to thank me, Jenna. Just being with you – like this – is amazing and I am _really_ glad you felt the same way.”

“That makes two of us, then,” she said. Looking down, she spotted my clothes and grabbed them before tossing them to me. “Come on, you, before I become rabid from lack of food.”

We dressed quickly before she took me by the hand again to lead me to the kitchen, the grin on my face unwavering as I looked forward to what every moment after this would bring.

 


End file.
